AutoCAD Chapter 2 and Its Applications SUPPLEMENTAL · PDF file · 2016-12-21Chapter 2 status bar. ... Figure 2A-2. Many file management options are available in the Windows Explorer

SUPPLEMENTALMATERIALS

AutoCADand Its Applications

B A S I C SStudent Web Si te

Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 1

Chapter 2

Windows ExplorerWindows Explorer, shown in Figure 2A-1, allows you to display and manage

folders and fi les. To activate Windows Explorer, right-click on the Windows Startbutton and select Explore from the shortcut menu. This supplement focuses on Windows Explorer provided with Windows XP. The material applies to other Windows operating systems, but will function and look slightly different.

The Windows Explorer InterfaceThe Windows Explorer interface includes a title bar, pull-down menu bar,

standard toolbar, Address text box, Links bar, folders pane, contents pane, and

Folderspane

Selectedfolder

Contentsof selectedfolderdisplayedin contentspane

Split bar

Address text box displayspath to selected folder

Figure 2A-1. The folders pane of Windows Explorer displays the folder tree. The contents pane displays the files and subfolders within the item selected in the folders pane.





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status bar. The Links bar is not active by default. Activate Windows Explorer tools using the pull-down menu, toolbar, shortcut menus, or keyboard keys. Figure 2A-2 provides quick identifi cation of the default items on the toolbar. Toggle the toolbar display on and off by selecting an option from the Toolbarscascading menu of the View pull-down menu. A check mark next to a toolbar name indicates that it is active. You can add tools to the toolbar by selecting Customize... from the Toolbars cascading menu in the View pull-down menu.

Windows Explorer displays the contents of each drive in a tree, or graphic representation of folders and fi les. See Figure 2A-1. A vertical split bar divides Windows Explorer in half. The folders pane is the left half of the window and the contents pane is the right half. You can drag the split bar to the left or right to display more or less of the contents in each side of the window. Icons help to identify items as drives, folders, or fi les.

A small box containing a + or – symbol may precede device and folder icons in the folders pane. The + indicates that the folder contains additional folders, or subfolders. Pick the + symbol to expand the tree to display the next level of folders. Pick the – symbol to collapse, or hide, the display of subfolders. To display the contents of a folders pane item in the contents pane, pick the icon once. You must double-click folders in the contents pane to open them. An open folder automatically closes when you select and open a new folder.

PROFESSIONAL TIPWhen you expand the folder tree to several levels, you can quickly back up to the previous level or branch by picking the Back button or pressing the [Backspace] key.

Go back toprevious folder

Go up onefolder

Toggles display ofthe folders pane

Undo lastoperation

Return aftergoing back

Searchfor files

Change view stylein contents pane

Folderoptions

Figure 2A-2. Many file management options are available in the Windows Explorer toolbar.




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You can adjust the display of items in the content pane by selecting an option from the View pull-down menu or Views fl yout, or by right-clicking on any open area of the contents pane. The Thumbnails option displays icons for fi les and folders in large format. If a folder contains graphics fi les, thumbnail images of those fi les appear on the folder icon. The Tiles option displays each folder or fi le icon in a large format with the fi le name and selected informa-tion below it. Pick Icons to display each folder and fi le icon in medium-size format with the folder or fi le name beneath it. Select List to represent fi les and folders with small icons with fi le names to the right. Files that do not fi t in the fi rst column appear in additional columns to the right. Use the horizontal scroll bar to display them. The Details method displays folders and fi les as a single column of small icons, with the fi le name, size, type, and the date and time the fi le was last modifi ed listed to the right of each icon.

NOTEYou can move, resize, close, and minimize Windows Explorer as you do other Windows applications.

PROFESSIONAL TIPWindows makes extensive use of shortcut menus. Practice right-clicking inside windows and dialog boxes or when selecting folders and files. You will find that this method can speed up many operations.

Selecting and Arranging ContentsWhen performing functions such as copying, moving, renaming, and

deleting, it is fi rst necessary to select one or more fi les. Pick to select a single fi le. To select a group of fi les listed together, pick a point that does not highlight a fi le, and then hold and drag the cursor to highlight the fi les to select. Release the pick button to complete the selection. To select a series of consecutive fi les





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within a list, pick the fi rst fi le to select, hold [Shift], and then pick the last fi le to select. All fi les between the two selected fi les become highlighted. To select more than one nonconsecutive fi le within a list, pick the fi rst fi le, hold down [Ctrl], and pick the other fi les. Use the arrow keys to locate and highlight a single fi le. This selection method also supports [Ctrl] and [Shift] combinations.

Selecting Multiple Groups of Folders and FilesApply the following steps to select two or more groups of consecutive fi les:

1. Pick the first item in the first group then hold [Shift] and pick the last item in the group.

2. Press [Ctrl] and select the first item in the second group. 3. Press [Ctrl]+[Shift] and pick the last item in the group to select the second

group. 4. Press [Ctrl] and select the first item in the third group. 5. Press [Ctrl]+[Shift] and pick the last item in the group to select the third

group. 6. Continue in this manner until you have selected all groups.

Use the following technique if the fi les or folders you need to select outnumber those that will remain unselected: 1. Pick Select All from the Edit pull-down menu or press [Ctrl]+[A] to select

all folders and files in the current drive or folder. 2. Deselect the items you do not want to be part of the selected group by

holding down [Ctrl] and picking the item(s) to remove.The following is a good method to use if only a few files or folders are to remain unselected: 1. Select only the files that are not to be acted on. 2. Pick Invert Selection from the Edit pull-down menu to deselect the items

you picked and select all remaining items.





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PROFESSIONAL TIPThe status bar at the bottom of Windows Explorer displays the number of objects selected and the total number of bytes in the selected items. Check the status bar when selecting files to copy to storage media. You can quickly see if the total file size exceeds the storage capacity of the media.

Arranging Folder and File IconsOnce you select the display that suits your needs, you can quickly arrange

the icons using one of four methods available from the Arrange Icons by menu of the View pull-down menu. The Name method displays folders and fi les alpha-betically, with folders listed fi rst. The Size option lists folders fi rst, and then displays fi les from smallest number of bytes to largest. The Type method orga-nizes fi les by fi le type. Folders appear fi rst, and then fi les appear alphabetically according to the three-letter fi le extension. The Modifi ed option organizes fi les by the date they were last modifi ed.

When displaying icons in the thumbnail, tiles, or icon format, you can choose to move contents manually, or you can use the default Auto Arrange option to arrange icons in rows and columns automatically. To toggle Auto Arrange on and off, select Auto Arrange from the Arrange Icons by cascading menu of the View pull-down menu. A check mark means the option is active. When AutoArrange is off, you can freely pick and drag icons to new locations.

If your arrangement gets too confusing, you can align icons into the nearest rows and columns by picking Align to Grid in the Arrange Icons by cascading menu. This option does not produce the compact arrangement Auto Arrangeprovides; it moves icons to the nearest row and column. Gaps may remain in the arrangement.

The Show in Groups option in the Arrange Icons by cascading menu arranges the icons in groups, labeled according to the criteria used to sort the fi les. For example, if you select the Size viewing option, the group labels might be Tiny, Small, Medium, and Large. If you select the Modifi ed viewing option, the groups labels might be Today, Yesterday, Earlier this year, Two years ago, and A long time ago.






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NOTEWhen the Details option is active, you can automatically reverse the list order by picking any one of the column headings in the contents pane. For example, pick Size to display files first from largest to smallest, followed by the folders. Pick Size again to return to the default display of folders first, and then files from smallest to largest. Test this feature by picking each column heading.

Launching Applications with Windows ExplorerMany of the fi les that appear in Windows Explorer are associated with

application programs. Double-click on the fi le icon or name to load the fi le and simultaneously start the application with which it is associated. For example, double-click on a drawing fi le to load AutoCAD, if it is not already running, and open the drawing.

File Management with Windows ExplorerWindows Explorer is an effective means of managing folders and fi les. For

example, you can rename, copy, delete, and move fi les from within Explorer.

Moving Folders and FilesOne option to move folders and fi les is to highlight the folders or fi les to

move and press [Ctrl]+[X] to move the selection to the Windows Clipboard. Then navigate to the folder in which you want to place the items and press [Ctrl]+[V]to paste them into the folder. If you use this method, the fi le and folder icons are shadowed in the original folder, but do not disappear until you complete the paste operation. If you cancel before you paste, the items remain in the original location.

The second method is to open two instances of Windows Explorer. In one window, navigate to the current location of the fi les and folders to be moved. In the other window, navigate to the folder in which you want to place the fi les and






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folders. Highlight the fi les and folders to be moved in the fi rst window. Then drag the fi les and folders to the other window.

Copying Folders and FilesOne option to copy folders and fi les is to highlight the folders or fi les and

press [Ctrl]+[C] to copy the selection to the Windows Clipboard. Then navigate to the folder in which you want to place the copies and press [Ctrl]+[V] to paste them into the folder.

The second method is to open two instances of Windows Explorer. In one window, navigate to the current location of the fi les and folders to be copied. In the other window, navigate to the folder in which you want to place the copies. Highlight the fi les and folders to be copied in the fi rst window. Then hold down [Ctrl] and drag the fi les and folders to the other window.

NOTEBe sure to hold down [Ctrl] while you drag selections. If you do not, the items will move from the first location to the second, without creating a copy.

Renaming Folders and FilesTo rename a folder or fi le in Windows Explorer, slowly double-click the

folder name to activate it for editing. Type the new name and press [Enter] or pick anywhere on screen to accept the new name.

PROFESSIONAL TIPBe sure to include the three-letter file extension when you rename files in Windows XP. A Windows alert informs you the file may be unusable if you change or omit the extension.





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Deleting and Restoring Folders and FilesIn Windows, the Recycle Bin stores the items you delete from the hard

drive. Select the folders and fi les to delete, press [Delete], and pick Yes in the confi rmation dialog box to send them to the Recycle Bin.

If you delete the fi le from a network or removable drive, the dialog box will ask if you are sure you want to delete the fi le. Items deleted from network and removable drives are deleted permanently and are not sent to the Recycle Bin. Pick Yes to delete the fi le permanently. You can also delete fi les and folders by selecting the items and picking the Delete button at the top of the Explorer window. Pick Yes in the confi rmation dialog box to send the fi le to the Recycle Bin.

The Recycle Bin is a storage area for deleted fi les. If for any reason you need to retrieve a deleted fi le, open the Recycle Bin, right-click on the fi le, and pick Restore. The fi le moves to its former location in the folder structure.

Occasionally, you should review the contents of the Recycle Bin and empty it to reclaim space on your hard drive. Open the Recycle Bin and select Empty Recycle Bin from the File pull-down menu. Pick Yes in the confi rmation dialog box to delete the fi les permanently from the hard drive. Be sure that you no longer need the fi les before deleting them in this manner, because once they are removed from the Recycle Bin, they are much harder to restore.

Managing File PropertiesTo display detailed information about any folder or fi le, select the fi le and

pick Properties from the File pull-down menu. Alternatively, you can right-click on the fi le name and select Properties. See Figure 2A-3.

Creating a New FolderUse as many folders as necessary to organize project and system fi les. To

create a new folder, pick the drive or folder icon where you want the new folder to appear. Then pick Folder from the New cascading menu in the File pull-down menu, or right-click in the contents pane and pick New and Folder. A New Foldericon and label appear in the contents pane. Type a new name and press [Enter]. The folder is now ready to use.





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PROFESSIONAL TIPAvoid saving files in the AutoCAD program folders. Always check with your instructor or supervisor before creating new folders or performing any disk management function.

Maintaining Removable DisksYou can perform a variety of operations on a removable drive, such as a

fl ash drive using Windows Explorer. Each function is located in the shortcut menu that appears when you right-click on the Removable Disk icon. See Figure 2A-4.

Figure 2A-3. The Properties dialog box displays details about the file.

File name

Fileinformation





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Formatting a Removable DiskFormatting prepares the disk so you can copy information to it. If the

removable disk you intend to format has been used, Windows Explorer detects this and informs you before it removes any existing data from the removable disk. Follow these steps to format a removable disk: 1. Insert the removable disk into a USB port. 2. Right-click on the flash drive name or icon and select Format... to display

the Format dialog box. See Figure 2A-5. 3. Select the capacity of the drive to format from the drop-down list in the

Capacity: list box. 4. If you want to provide a label for the drive, enter the name in the Volume

label text box. 5. Pick the Start button to begin formatting the flash drive. 6. When formatting is complete, pick the OK button.

Right-clickon the

RemovableDisk icon

Shortcutmenu

Figure 2A-4. This shortcut menu appears when you right-click on a removable disk drive icon.





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Additional Disk Management FunctionsThe shortcut menu displayed when you right-click on the removable disk

icon provides several other functions for managing the contents of removable disks. Select Expand to expand one branch of the folder tree for the selected drive. Pick Explore to display the contents of the fl ash drive in the contents pane. Choose Open to open a separate window displaying all folders and fi les on the fl ash drive. Select Search to open a new Windows Explorer window with the Windows Desktop Search or Search Companion active. Pick Sharing and Security to confi gure sharing for the selected drive. Select Properties to open the Properties dialog box.

Drag-and-Drop Operations with Windows Explorer

The drag-and-drop functionality in Windows makes many common Windows Explorer operations faster and easier, including copying, moving, and deleting fi les and folders. In addition, Windows Explorer allows you to drag and drop fi le icons into the AutoCAD drawing area to open drawings, insert drawing fi les as blocks, insert text fi les as multiline text, and import PostScript

Selectcapacity

Enter alabel

Figure 2A-5. The Format dialog box.





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and raster fi les. You can also use drag-and-drop operations to load menu, line-type, shape, script, and slide fi les, as well as AutoLISP and ARX applications. Figure 2A-6 lists drag-and-drop operations possible with AutoCAD and the chapters in the text where you can fi nd additional tool information.

Dragging and Dropping a Text FileTo drag and drop text created in a text editor outside of AutoCAD into a

drawing, fi rst start AutoCAD and Windows Explorer and arrange the display windows so both are visible. Then, in Windows Explorer, open the folder containing the text fi le to insert. Finally, select the text fi le icon, drag it into the AutoCAD drawing area, and release the mouse button. The text inserts as a multiline text object in the current text style and on the current layer.

PROFESSIONAL TIPIf you use the right mouse button when dragging a text file into AutoCAD, a shortcut menu offers additional options. The Insert Here option produces the same result as a regular drag-and-drop operation. Optionally, you can attach a hyperlink to an existing drawing object or cancel the operation. AutoCAD and Its Applications—Advanced explains using hyperlinks in AutoCAD.

Operation File Extension Related Tool Related Chapter

Load a linetypes file LIN LINETYPE Chapter 5

Insert a text file TXT MTEXT Chapters 9 and 10

Load a shape font SHP COMPILE Chapters 9 and 10

Insert a drawing file DWG INSERT Chapter 24

Open a drawing file DWG OPEN Chapter 2

Print a drawing DWG PLOT Chapters 5 and 29

Figure 2A-6. Drag-and-drop operations possible with AutoCAD.





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Using Drag-and-Drop to Print a DrawingYou can plot a drawing by dragging the drawing fi le icon directly to the

appropriate printer icon. The drawing fi le icon you select opens in the drawing editor using the FILEOPEN tool. This tool allows you to open a fi le without using a dialog box. The Plot dialog box also appears, allowing you to modify the printing parameters as required and print the drawing. An alternative method of plotting a drawing fi le from Windows Explorer is to launch AutoCAD, and then launch Windows Explorer. Right-click on the drawing to print and select Print.

Dragging and Dropping Drawing Files into AutoCADTo open one or more drawing fi les in AutoCAD using a drag-and-drop

procedure, fi rst start both AutoCAD and Windows Explorer and arrange the display so both windows are visible. Then select any number of drawing fi les in Windows Explorer and drag the selected fi le icons to the title bar of the AutoCAD program window. You must remember to drag it to the title bar of the AutoCAD program window. Each drawing opens in a separate drawing window.

You can also use a drag-and-drop operation to insert a drawing into the current drawing session. This method is similar to the INSERT tool described in Chapter 25. The drawing you drag and drop becomes a block. Therefore, you may need to explode it after insertion, if you want to edit the objects it contains. To insert a drawing, drag it into the drawing area of the drawing into which you want to insert it. You can only insert drawings one at a time.

Use the right mouse button when dragging fi les into the drawing area to display a shortcut menu of options. The Insert Here option inserts the drawing the same way as a regular drag-and-drop operation. The Open option opens the drawing in a new drawing window. The Create Xref option attaches an external reference to the selected drawing, using the drop point as the insertion loca-tion and default scale and rotation. The Create Hyperlink Here option creates a hyperlink to the drawing attached to a selected object. The Cancel option stops the drag-and-drop operation.

Documents

AutoCAD Chapter 2 and Its Applications SUPPLEMENTAL · PDF file · 2016-12-21Chapter 2 status bar. ... Figure 2A-2. Many file management options are available in the Windows Explorer